Can't believe November is here!!! My kiddo celebrated his birthday a little over a week ago. We are trying to get our school work done. He and I both are a little distracted by all that is going on around us.
Daddy is still gone for extended periods of time but did come in town long enough to hang with us for Halloween and to celebrate Kiddo's birthday. It was hard to do school because we wanted to hang out with Daddy. But, Daddy still had work to do so we went back to our work too.
Now, the school year is winding down for Kiddo's outside classes. He takes a robotics/programming class and a STEM class that all end this week. I am looking forward to that as I can get some of our other work caught up and really focus on our studies. We can actually do our week long study in a week vs stretching it out over a week and one half to two weeks.
We are also looking forward to Thanksgiving. We're planning a little history tour complete with overnight stops on our way "across the river and through the woods to Grandma's house we go...." We will pull back from our regularly scheduled schooling and add in car-tripping with a fun flavor!
That's the beauty of homeschooling. Everything and every place can be a lesson -- and not just the grocery store!!! That's how this momma homeschools!
My ramblings, rants, brags, observations and whatever else I encounter as we embark on our fourth year homeschooling our son. My blog title was inspired by those easy readers of old in the Dick & Jane series. If those books were easy then (maybe) this homeschooling thing won't be so hard either! LOL I'm not sure about my hypothesis! Join me on my journey and we can find out together.
Showing posts with label Status report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Status report. Show all posts
Monday, November 11, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Less is sometimes ENOUGH
All is well and good in our little neck of the woods! Kiddo and I have been chugging along and just kind of taking it easy with a fewer less helpings of stress in our daily activities. Given the year we have been dealt thus far, with our "Principal" (aka Daddy) MIA from the organization due to outside pressures of "WORK" and the extended family drama that continues to smack repeatedly at our boundaries, we have taken a more relaxed approach to schooling.
That does not mean we don't school - as the very thought of not working on our curriculum makes my teeth itch. What it does mean is that we have slowed down and cut ourselves some slack. We do what we can do in the time allotted and finish the rest when we have time or in some cases (GASP!!!) - skip it all together.
Let me illustrate. According to the agenda book that I keep with my lesson plans and the things we get accomplished, we show that we are in our 11th week of school but in our MFW curriculum, we are only in week 7. Normally, these non-matching numbers would send me in a tailspin but given my new focus on school work and life balance, this works for us and to be honest, it's freeing!!
I decided that it's okay to skip some stuff and/or to take our time to really dive into some topics. It's much more beneficial if we can stay just a little longer on a topic that is especially interesting to my young scholar. Right now, the discussion of pyramids along with their form, function and general design have us a little captivated.
Plus, Kiddo is busy working on (well - needs to be working on) his year end project/presentation for his meteorology portion of his weekly STEM class. Plus, he is also knee-deep in the study of wildfires for his First Lego League team. So, he's learning A LOT of different things and applying many different skills even though it's not written in any of the curriculum I have purchased.
It does make the OCD Control Freak in me feel better when I look at the agenda and see all that we have accomplished each week even though we may not be moving quickly through our "core" products.
We have still managed to have a few field trips and time with our friends. Kiddo was telling me last night that he is very happy that he has had a chance to see his friends so much lately. Being the parent of an only child is hard at times in that I need to be cognizant of the fact that he needs more than ME and honestly, I need more than him. I have worked it out to make sure he interacts people almost every day. That may entail him being in a class, going to a church activity, having dinner with friends, park days, field trips and old-fashioned play dates! Wait- we're going to have to call them "hang-outs" or something since Kiddo reminded me that he is almost 10 and play date just sounds "too girly." Oh well! I guess he has a point.
That's where we are at this point in our journey and that is just how this momma continues to homeschool.
That does not mean we don't school - as the very thought of not working on our curriculum makes my teeth itch. What it does mean is that we have slowed down and cut ourselves some slack. We do what we can do in the time allotted and finish the rest when we have time or in some cases (GASP!!!) - skip it all together.
Let me illustrate. According to the agenda book that I keep with my lesson plans and the things we get accomplished, we show that we are in our 11th week of school but in our MFW curriculum, we are only in week 7. Normally, these non-matching numbers would send me in a tailspin but given my new focus on school work and life balance, this works for us and to be honest, it's freeing!!
I decided that it's okay to skip some stuff and/or to take our time to really dive into some topics. It's much more beneficial if we can stay just a little longer on a topic that is especially interesting to my young scholar. Right now, the discussion of pyramids along with their form, function and general design have us a little captivated.
Plus, Kiddo is busy working on (well - needs to be working on) his year end project/presentation for his meteorology portion of his weekly STEM class. Plus, he is also knee-deep in the study of wildfires for his First Lego League team. So, he's learning A LOT of different things and applying many different skills even though it's not written in any of the curriculum I have purchased.
It does make the OCD Control Freak in me feel better when I look at the agenda and see all that we have accomplished each week even though we may not be moving quickly through our "core" products.
We have still managed to have a few field trips and time with our friends. Kiddo was telling me last night that he is very happy that he has had a chance to see his friends so much lately. Being the parent of an only child is hard at times in that I need to be cognizant of the fact that he needs more than ME and honestly, I need more than him. I have worked it out to make sure he interacts people almost every day. That may entail him being in a class, going to a church activity, having dinner with friends, park days, field trips and old-fashioned play dates! Wait- we're going to have to call them "hang-outs" or something since Kiddo reminded me that he is almost 10 and play date just sounds "too girly." Oh well! I guess he has a point.
That's where we are at this point in our journey and that is just how this momma continues to homeschool.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Real-life lessons
Where does the time go?? It's been a week since my last post and I internally promised myself that I would update something at least 2 or 3 times a week to chronicle our journey. Oh well, there's always tomorrow, that is after I post today!
Our little family is quite busy and things are a little crazy around our house. Hubby (AKA - Principal of the Academy of Awesome Learning) has been assigned to a major project at work that takes him out of the state from Sunday to Friday afternoon. That being said, I am now wearing multiple hats and doing the single-mom thing. As an aside - KUDOS to all the single parents out there!! WHEW!! I have the utmost respect for you.
Anyway, along with Daddy being gone, we have some external family drama consuming some of my mental energies, then compound that with ailing parents on both sides, a terminally-ill grandmother and an uncle recently diagnosed with cancer. I guess now that I see it in print, it's okay that I don't update my homeschool blog on a daily basis.
Just goes to show that life goes on and it has lots of curves, dips and even loop-de-loops to throw at you. As those that homeschool know, homeschooling isn't just about the books we read, the math facts we learn, the field trips we take or even those cool science experiments that may or may not involve a chemical reaction. It is so much more. Teaching life skills and the ability to "roll with" the proverbial punches is a valuable life skill. Kiddo is learning lessons that I would rather not teach him in his young life but it's a fact of life that "into each life a little rain must fall." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Sometimes, that rain is slightly a mist and other times it's a torrential downpour causing us to seek shelter. In any event, we are learning as a family to navigate these rough waters by drawing closer to each other and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Getting through life one prayer and day at a time and sprinkling in some official learning along the way. That's how this momma is homeschooling these days!
Our little family is quite busy and things are a little crazy around our house. Hubby (AKA - Principal of the Academy of Awesome Learning) has been assigned to a major project at work that takes him out of the state from Sunday to Friday afternoon. That being said, I am now wearing multiple hats and doing the single-mom thing. As an aside - KUDOS to all the single parents out there!! WHEW!! I have the utmost respect for you.
Anyway, along with Daddy being gone, we have some external family drama consuming some of my mental energies, then compound that with ailing parents on both sides, a terminally-ill grandmother and an uncle recently diagnosed with cancer. I guess now that I see it in print, it's okay that I don't update my homeschool blog on a daily basis.
Just goes to show that life goes on and it has lots of curves, dips and even loop-de-loops to throw at you. As those that homeschool know, homeschooling isn't just about the books we read, the math facts we learn, the field trips we take or even those cool science experiments that may or may not involve a chemical reaction. It is so much more. Teaching life skills and the ability to "roll with" the proverbial punches is a valuable life skill. Kiddo is learning lessons that I would rather not teach him in his young life but it's a fact of life that "into each life a little rain must fall." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Sometimes, that rain is slightly a mist and other times it's a torrential downpour causing us to seek shelter. In any event, we are learning as a family to navigate these rough waters by drawing closer to each other and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Getting through life one prayer and day at a time and sprinkling in some official learning along the way. That's how this momma is homeschooling these days!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Field Tripping
We are blessed with a couple of active homeschool groups and a wonderful community ripe for exploration. This time of year in Sunny Florida, the weather is cooling off (in the low 80s - Lol) and the initial shock from the start of the school year is somewhat over and I notice my calendar is filling up with wonderful field trips.
The month of September is typcially busier because we have "Swap-tember." What that means is if you have annual passes to a place like the Florida Aquarium, Lowry Park Zoo or MOSI then you can go to the other places for FREE in the month of September. As we have MOSI passes, we took advantage of the offer and went to the Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium.
Last Tuesday, we visited Old McMicky's Farm in Odessa. My kiddo and about 60 others in our group had an opportunity to milk a cow, ride a horse, hold a chicken, pet a goat, visit with a real-life turkey (not our Uncle - lol), learn more about pot-belly pigs and a few more encounters. The staff was really nice and very patient with our group ranging in age from toddler to middle school.
This Tuesday, we planned a visit to Working Cow Homemade Ice Cream in St Petersburg. Our kids participated in a service project as well by bringing a recycled cooler full of non-perishable food to be given to Meals on Wheels. After presenting their gift, we toured the facility and learned how they make that wonderful ice cream. Just to make sure it was good, they offered us double-fudge brownie right out of the mixer! GREAT stuff.
We have upcoming field trips planned to Dakin Farm, Publix Dairy Plant, live plays and much more! It's fun homeschooling. I have to remember that even "Field Tripping" is a learning experience and this does take the pressure off and these days that helps this momma homeschool.
The month of September is typcially busier because we have "Swap-tember." What that means is if you have annual passes to a place like the Florida Aquarium, Lowry Park Zoo or MOSI then you can go to the other places for FREE in the month of September. As we have MOSI passes, we took advantage of the offer and went to the Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium.
Last Tuesday, we visited Old McMicky's Farm in Odessa. My kiddo and about 60 others in our group had an opportunity to milk a cow, ride a horse, hold a chicken, pet a goat, visit with a real-life turkey (not our Uncle - lol), learn more about pot-belly pigs and a few more encounters. The staff was really nice and very patient with our group ranging in age from toddler to middle school.
This Tuesday, we planned a visit to Working Cow Homemade Ice Cream in St Petersburg. Our kids participated in a service project as well by bringing a recycled cooler full of non-perishable food to be given to Meals on Wheels. After presenting their gift, we toured the facility and learned how they make that wonderful ice cream. Just to make sure it was good, they offered us double-fudge brownie right out of the mixer! GREAT stuff.
We have upcoming field trips planned to Dakin Farm, Publix Dairy Plant, live plays and much more! It's fun homeschooling. I have to remember that even "Field Tripping" is a learning experience and this does take the pressure off and these days that helps this momma homeschool.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Learning to say no....
We've been so busy, that I literally had to write "update blog" on my To-Do list. Once I started typing, I paused and checked my calendar to find out exactly why I hadn't updated this piece of our family homeschool journey. I found the problem!! The calendar has been full of activities, appointments and general life! We've been doing school but it's been a variation of "homeschool meets car schooling with a sprinkling of field tripping along with a dash of family drama to pull it all together."
I am sure you have days, weeks, months or even years like that!! I know I am not alone out there in my struggle for balance. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there for homeschool families with activities, trips, and experiences that complement our learning. But, I have learned that I can't say YES to every one of them no matter how enticing they may be. An extremely overloaded calendar does not a happy momma make!!
Reluctantly, I had to back my kiddo out of an upcoming activity due to the cost and time commitment. He understood, but a part of me really wanted to make a way for him to do it. Why? I don't know -- I guess because he didn't get opportunities like this when he went to school and well - neither did I!
I know I shouldn't feel any sense of guilt. He already does far more than he used to do and he has positive experiences in most of the activities and trips we have taken. But for our family, I had to stop and realize that these $5, $20, $50 opportunities don't sound like much at the time but when compounded and added to the calendar, it quickly mounted up in time and MONEY!!! So, now we're cutting back and trying to stay close to home or do more super cheap things or free stuff like park days with our friends.
I have absolved myself of any guilt because let's face it, my kiddo has it pretty good. He is progressing nicely (albeit - a little unfocused at times). We are working through our calendar, commitments and life that comes our way.
It's not perfect and I don't think that this momma would know what to do it if was! I appreciate our homeschool journey! At least remind me of that from time to time, will ya when I question why this momma homeschools! See ya later!
I am sure you have days, weeks, months or even years like that!! I know I am not alone out there in my struggle for balance. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there for homeschool families with activities, trips, and experiences that complement our learning. But, I have learned that I can't say YES to every one of them no matter how enticing they may be. An extremely overloaded calendar does not a happy momma make!!
Reluctantly, I had to back my kiddo out of an upcoming activity due to the cost and time commitment. He understood, but a part of me really wanted to make a way for him to do it. Why? I don't know -- I guess because he didn't get opportunities like this when he went to school and well - neither did I!
I know I shouldn't feel any sense of guilt. He already does far more than he used to do and he has positive experiences in most of the activities and trips we have taken. But for our family, I had to stop and realize that these $5, $20, $50 opportunities don't sound like much at the time but when compounded and added to the calendar, it quickly mounted up in time and MONEY!!! So, now we're cutting back and trying to stay close to home or do more super cheap things or free stuff like park days with our friends.
I have absolved myself of any guilt because let's face it, my kiddo has it pretty good. He is progressing nicely (albeit - a little unfocused at times). We are working through our calendar, commitments and life that comes our way.
It's not perfect and I don't think that this momma would know what to do it if was! I appreciate our homeschool journey! At least remind me of that from time to time, will ya when I question why this momma homeschools! See ya later!
Monday, September 23, 2013
We're stil here!
Our weeks have been a blur! We are in full mode with all of our activities and actual schooling in full-swing! Thus, the reason for my lack of posts lately.
We haven't added anything - as if I had the time - and we haven't really changed anything about our days. We do have a functioning homeschool room and that has been a blessing for us! It is not completely done as I once envisioned but I totally need to avoid inundating Hubby with all his extra stuff that sits in the corner. I have already piled a good chunk of stuff in the corner of his office. To be fair, I will be helping him organize his office before moving onto the final phase in the homeschool room evolution.
Had a rough couple of weeks - emotionally with schooling and my attitude. I am in the process of composing a blog post about that as well. I must admit that I have taken solace and comfort in the fact that many of my homeschool friends are experiencing the lack of honeymoon phase in their own homeschool journeys.
I am not in the least glad that they are feeling challenged and even discouraged but it does bring me comfort that I am not alone and for that reason I am not the "bad mother" I kept thinking I was and that I not "messing my son up" in his education or psychological growth. Hang in their sisters and we will get through this with lots of patience, prayer and good old fashion cry sessions. At least that's how this momma currently homeschools.
We haven't added anything - as if I had the time - and we haven't really changed anything about our days. We do have a functioning homeschool room and that has been a blessing for us! It is not completely done as I once envisioned but I totally need to avoid inundating Hubby with all his extra stuff that sits in the corner. I have already piled a good chunk of stuff in the corner of his office. To be fair, I will be helping him organize his office before moving onto the final phase in the homeschool room evolution.
Had a rough couple of weeks - emotionally with schooling and my attitude. I am in the process of composing a blog post about that as well. I must admit that I have taken solace and comfort in the fact that many of my homeschool friends are experiencing the lack of honeymoon phase in their own homeschool journeys.
I am not in the least glad that they are feeling challenged and even discouraged but it does bring me comfort that I am not alone and for that reason I am not the "bad mother" I kept thinking I was and that I not "messing my son up" in his education or psychological growth. Hang in their sisters and we will get through this with lots of patience, prayer and good old fashion cry sessions. At least that's how this momma currently homeschools.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Welcome to our Hectic schedule
We are moving into week 3 and doing quite well. We are still processing our new curriculum and finding what works and what doesn't. This morning, my kiddo started his first full week of all of his activities. This is how our week plays out:
Monday:
Monday:
- AM: Computer Programming and Robotics Classes
- Afternoon: Archery
Tuesday:
- HOME - schooling
- Afternoon: Park day (for both of us -- we need to be able to run FREE)
Wednesday:
- HOME - schooling
- Evening: AWANA
Thursday:
- AM: STEM Classes
- Afternoon: Park day (see above!!)
- Evening: FLL (First Lego League Practice)
Friday:
- HOME - schooling and/of Field Trip
Lots of enrichment activities but also lots of learning going on with our busy schedule.
We have also made great strides on the Homeschool room. We bought our furniture in place but we still need to move out some items and clean off some shelves. I would say we are 75% complete and once we are done. I will post progression pics! I can tell you that Kiddo is absolutely ecstatic about his new learning space. We have made it bright and very inviting!! Everyone loves that "new school room" feel and smell!
That's it for us as Kiddo is almost finished with his programming class and then we are off to the library. Such is the life for us and we are so happy that this is how this momma homeschools.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Change time
We are on to week 2 and I have already made a change to our schooling process. The last 2 years, we have saved Fridays as "Fun Friday" in which we did field trips, family stuff and generally just hung out doing whatever we liked. I quickly noticed as I looked at the things we want to accomplish this year (including the additional time we want to take off around the holidays), that "Fun Friday" may be relegated to an occasional option.
So - much to Kiddo's chagrin, we are implementing "light Friday" in which we will do some basic schooling including math, science experiments and those things we just couldn't get to during the week.
I must explain that starting next week, we lose out on Mondays and Thursdays as really viable "at home" homeschool days. My kiddo starts his robotic and computer programming classes this coming Monday and for some insane reason, I added 6 weeks of Archery to Monday afternoons. So, that takes away most of the time to school. On Thursdays, he has his STEM class that runs from 845a-12, park day (which is must for both of us) and then he starts Robotics practice from 630p-8p. As you can see Thursday is not an option at all, plus he is learning from 845a-12 by very wonderful teachers!!
I don't know about you, but if we don't get our work done in the morning or shortly after lunch then we don't get it done. Honestly, the morning is the best and the afternoon is optimal for tying up loose ends. Both of us lack the focus or motivation to do much after lunch (related to school work). We would rather read, play out back, swim, etc than look at math or grammar. No offense - Math U See or IEW!!
Who knows if this will stick, as we have a tendency to change things up quite a bit with our homeschooling methodology. Bottom line is that we ARE learning, we ARE growing closer one another and we ARE making it work for our family. That is how THIS momma homeschools!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Day 2 in the books
The day started out much better due to the fact that I got some sleep and partnered that nicely with my French Vanilla K-Cup.
Kiddo worked very hard today and it was a lot easier today as many of the items were to complete things we started yesterday. Now, once I work on my lesson plans for the coming weeks, I will know NOT to include certain things as a starting lesson. For instance, NO starting a new IEW lesson (video) on the same day we start a new unit in My Father's World, along with science homework from the STEM class that we missed due to vacation. LESSON LEARNED!
I am finding myself already glossing over some things - for instance this week at the start of MFW Creation to the Greeks, we are supposed to do an actual Jewish Sabbath celebration. I can tell you that isn't going to happen this week because first, I am unprepared! Second, I just can't wrap my head around all that it entails. Thirdly, I don't want to do it half-way, I would like the family to experience the process the right way and give it the reverence and attention it deserves.
So, I am using my executive powers and moving it to another week down the road. I am going to check the family calendar to make sure we an actual Friday and Saturday we can do this properly. If not, then we will do the "major" things in the celebration.
Currently, he and I are talking about the various aspects of the celebration in the lesson and we are even making a list of the items we need in order to do this in our non-Jewish household. The way I see it is that I will make a lesson by taking my kiddo to the store to purchase the various items needed. The beauty of homeschool is that we can adapt and adjust!! At least that's how this momma homeschools!
Kiddo worked very hard today and it was a lot easier today as many of the items were to complete things we started yesterday. Now, once I work on my lesson plans for the coming weeks, I will know NOT to include certain things as a starting lesson. For instance, NO starting a new IEW lesson (video) on the same day we start a new unit in My Father's World, along with science homework from the STEM class that we missed due to vacation. LESSON LEARNED!
I am finding myself already glossing over some things - for instance this week at the start of MFW Creation to the Greeks, we are supposed to do an actual Jewish Sabbath celebration. I can tell you that isn't going to happen this week because first, I am unprepared! Second, I just can't wrap my head around all that it entails. Thirdly, I don't want to do it half-way, I would like the family to experience the process the right way and give it the reverence and attention it deserves.
So, I am using my executive powers and moving it to another week down the road. I am going to check the family calendar to make sure we an actual Friday and Saturday we can do this properly. If not, then we will do the "major" things in the celebration.
Currently, he and I are talking about the various aspects of the celebration in the lesson and we are even making a list of the items we need in order to do this in our non-Jewish household. The way I see it is that I will make a lesson by taking my kiddo to the store to purchase the various items needed. The beauty of homeschool is that we can adapt and adjust!! At least that's how this momma homeschools!
Monday, August 26, 2013
We survived our first day!
We made it! We did it!! Self-back-pats all around!!! The official first day of our 4th grade homeschool year is behind us!! My kiddo and I made it through unscathed but slightly scared!! I didn't realize how much work we have to cover this year!!
A couple of weeks ago, I made the lesson plans for the first couple of weeks and boy did I overbook us. I must admit, it could be part attitude and timing that makes me feel shell-shocked today! We just returned late Saturday night from a Caribbean vacation where we completely unplugged. In my effort to get ahead, I did not factor in my sluggish attitude when I enthusiastically scheduled our first weeks of schooling. Ironically, it was more my attitude than my kiddo. He said several times throughout the day, how much he was liking it. Not sure if that was a caffeine-deprived hallucination that I was suffering or if he really liked it.
As I reflect back on our day, I must give him credit that he kept a great attitude, he really did seem to be enjoying most of what we did and he adapted well to the our new curriculum choices for the year. The lesson I learned today is this -- don't allow yourself to come back from vacation and be out of French Vanilla Cappuccino K-cups!! It's made for a rough day for me! The kiddo on the other hand is giving today a "thumbs up."
Planning for a better day tomorrow with caffeine and all! (And no I didn't write that in my planner - but maybe I should!!!) Dinner is in the crock pot, the laundry from 8 days of paradise is washing and drying and I think it's time I made a run to the store to pick up that much needed caffeine for tomorrow's lessons. At least, that's how this momma is going to make it through homeschool tomorrow!!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Year of Adjustments
Well, we finished up the school year and we both came out unscathed! I must admit that G learned and grew this year and I learned a thing or two as well.
Not only did we grow closer together, we also made adjustments to our day, curriculum, schedule and so much more! I look back on this school year and duly deem it "THE YEAR of ADJUSTMENTS."
I must confess that I had every intention of continuing to school through the summer but wouldn't you know it -- we got busy!!! I currently keep telling myself G is still learning even if he doesn't have his head in a book or isn't leaning over some science project waiting for a chemical reaction. He has had many firsts already this summer that I could never teach him on my own.
He started out the summer with a week-long stay at overnight church camp, 2 1/2 hours from home. This was his first venture that far and that long without Mom or Dad!! We spent weeks preparing and checking our lists. Well, okay MY lists but none-the-less, he left prepared!! During his time away, he had to practice time management because each camper was responsible for being in his scheduled placed at the scheduled time with no help from the counselors. Also, he had to take responsibility for keeping up with all his belongings! I am happy to report, he only misplaced one tired old beach towel and for that I am actually grateful! He had to make choices as to what he wanted to do each day during his free time and had to make friends with virtual strangers, as he only had 2 friends he knew going on this week long jaunt. My biggest fear was hygiene! I was hoping he brushed, washed and generally didn't smell up the place!! After his return, his suitcase did not smell like a toxic waste-dump and he seemed to be in good general health and still had all his teeth. Overall, a successful venture and might I add, learning experience was had by all.
By "all", I mean me as well because I had to "let go and let God" lead this child. I had to trust that he was mature enough to handle the situations that came his way and be able to make informed decisions and follow directions. In addition, I had to let him actually go that far from me. As the mom of an only child, my common phrase is "I don't have a spare" so I must be extra careful with this one!! I kid but in honesty, I only get one time to send my kid to camp for the first time and one time to wait with baited breath for him to come home. Oh, I didn't mention there was no contact allowed while he was gone!! That was the hardest for me -- to not be able to talk with him and make sure he was okay! I think we both grew up a little that week and it didn't hurt either of us. Well, maybe just a little!
He also attended basketball camp for the week. I am not a sports minded person and to be honest, neither is my kiddo. But, I embraced his enthusiasm to try something new. He loved it and he learned to get out there and try his hardest. I would like to tell you that I have 3 point-line prodigy on my hands but sadly "no." What I do have is a kiddo that tries his hardest and has fun in the process. That is a lesson that can't be taught in books.
We have also had family visiting during various breaks in our summer vacation. Adding others to our family dynamic has taught him the art of sharing, compromise and also sacrifice. He also learned more about his extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins (both male and female that are his age). History and family bonding is also key to security and also knowing a little about where you come from in this life.
Much more is planned for our summer, including a nice family vacation to an exotic island!!(Not kidding -- can't wait!!) Prior to that, we have a VBS to help us learn how to conquer our fear with the Lord at our side and much much more.
So, I guess what I am saying is that we are "doing" school during the summer just not in the way that I previously envisioned. SO, I say "THE YEAR of ADJUSTMENTS" carries on into the summer months.
That's how this mom homeschools!!
Not only did we grow closer together, we also made adjustments to our day, curriculum, schedule and so much more! I look back on this school year and duly deem it "THE YEAR of ADJUSTMENTS."
I must confess that I had every intention of continuing to school through the summer but wouldn't you know it -- we got busy!!! I currently keep telling myself G is still learning even if he doesn't have his head in a book or isn't leaning over some science project waiting for a chemical reaction. He has had many firsts already this summer that I could never teach him on my own.
He started out the summer with a week-long stay at overnight church camp, 2 1/2 hours from home. This was his first venture that far and that long without Mom or Dad!! We spent weeks preparing and checking our lists. Well, okay MY lists but none-the-less, he left prepared!! During his time away, he had to practice time management because each camper was responsible for being in his scheduled placed at the scheduled time with no help from the counselors. Also, he had to take responsibility for keeping up with all his belongings! I am happy to report, he only misplaced one tired old beach towel and for that I am actually grateful! He had to make choices as to what he wanted to do each day during his free time and had to make friends with virtual strangers, as he only had 2 friends he knew going on this week long jaunt. My biggest fear was hygiene! I was hoping he brushed, washed and generally didn't smell up the place!! After his return, his suitcase did not smell like a toxic waste-dump and he seemed to be in good general health and still had all his teeth. Overall, a successful venture and might I add, learning experience was had by all.
By "all", I mean me as well because I had to "let go and let God" lead this child. I had to trust that he was mature enough to handle the situations that came his way and be able to make informed decisions and follow directions. In addition, I had to let him actually go that far from me. As the mom of an only child, my common phrase is "I don't have a spare" so I must be extra careful with this one!! I kid but in honesty, I only get one time to send my kid to camp for the first time and one time to wait with baited breath for him to come home. Oh, I didn't mention there was no contact allowed while he was gone!! That was the hardest for me -- to not be able to talk with him and make sure he was okay! I think we both grew up a little that week and it didn't hurt either of us. Well, maybe just a little!
He also attended basketball camp for the week. I am not a sports minded person and to be honest, neither is my kiddo. But, I embraced his enthusiasm to try something new. He loved it and he learned to get out there and try his hardest. I would like to tell you that I have 3 point-line prodigy on my hands but sadly "no." What I do have is a kiddo that tries his hardest and has fun in the process. That is a lesson that can't be taught in books.
We have also had family visiting during various breaks in our summer vacation. Adding others to our family dynamic has taught him the art of sharing, compromise and also sacrifice. He also learned more about his extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins (both male and female that are his age). History and family bonding is also key to security and also knowing a little about where you come from in this life.
Much more is planned for our summer, including a nice family vacation to an exotic island!!(Not kidding -- can't wait!!) Prior to that, we have a VBS to help us learn how to conquer our fear with the Lord at our side and much much more.
So, I guess what I am saying is that we are "doing" school during the summer just not in the way that I previously envisioned. SO, I say "THE YEAR of ADJUSTMENTS" carries on into the summer months.
That's how this mom homeschools!!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Rough start
We started back to "work"on Monday after almost a month off from school. Well, I took the month off but the kiddo did continue to do some of his independent work until the 15th of Dec. But now we are back and let me tell you that it is H-A-R-D!!!
My attitude has a lot to do with it. I was totally out of the loop and not wanting to teach or get back to work. My kiddo matched my attitude huff for huff. So, let me tell you that this has not been a good week for us. I have also noticed that G's stuttering has been especially bad this week. I feel totally responsible and feel it may be due to the pressure cooker we have been in the last couple of days.
Last night, I finally told hubby how I felt. This morning I let the kiddo know that things had to change. I apologized for my behavior and asked the kiddo for his help. I explained how he and I "feed off" of each other in regards to attitude. He and I agreed that we both need some adjustments.
We started this morning much different than the 1st 3 days of this week. We prayed and then cuddled for 15 minutes.We missed out on the cuddle time this week since I just wanted to get our school work. Boy, that was something he and I both needed. Anyway, after our prayer, we discussed our day and how we wanted it to go. I explained all that we needed to do today and asked for his input.
He and I then went and got dressed before we started our day. (Something we hadn't done all this week). Then we had some breakfast over which I read some of our Bible books so we could get started but also be relaxed. Next, we finished the rest of our Bible work. Then I gave the kiddo a break and he and Dad shot some hoops for about 10 minutes. That made such a difference.
For our lessons today, I had planned some DVDs to wind down our current study of France. Kiddo and I both enjoyed them as they were low key and a review of what we had already learned. Next we moved to math, in which we paused our Teaching Textbooks study to remind ourselves of math basics. So, this week and possibly next, is math fact refresher week for addition, subtraction and multiplication. We started a new DVD today called Time Tales!! It seems to be working for him!! I am hoping to build his confidence up with multiplication before moving forward with his normal math lessons. I may even have a day each week where we just do math refreshers vs moving forward with new lessons.
As our day continues, we will mark off items on our list but take the occasional break for a few minutes of outdoor play and/or cuddles!
Lots to do but a lot less stressful for us both. But, I have learned not to take such a long break and am even considering the possibility of schooling year round. This year round process would of course include short breaks and vacations. But we have time to make that decision. I am just glad that today is better than yesterday!!
I hope your week goes smoothly too.
My attitude has a lot to do with it. I was totally out of the loop and not wanting to teach or get back to work. My kiddo matched my attitude huff for huff. So, let me tell you that this has not been a good week for us. I have also noticed that G's stuttering has been especially bad this week. I feel totally responsible and feel it may be due to the pressure cooker we have been in the last couple of days.
Last night, I finally told hubby how I felt. This morning I let the kiddo know that things had to change. I apologized for my behavior and asked the kiddo for his help. I explained how he and I "feed off" of each other in regards to attitude. He and I agreed that we both need some adjustments.
We started this morning much different than the 1st 3 days of this week. We prayed and then cuddled for 15 minutes.We missed out on the cuddle time this week since I just wanted to get our school work. Boy, that was something he and I both needed. Anyway, after our prayer, we discussed our day and how we wanted it to go. I explained all that we needed to do today and asked for his input.
He and I then went and got dressed before we started our day. (Something we hadn't done all this week). Then we had some breakfast over which I read some of our Bible books so we could get started but also be relaxed. Next, we finished the rest of our Bible work. Then I gave the kiddo a break and he and Dad shot some hoops for about 10 minutes. That made such a difference.
For our lessons today, I had planned some DVDs to wind down our current study of France. Kiddo and I both enjoyed them as they were low key and a review of what we had already learned. Next we moved to math, in which we paused our Teaching Textbooks study to remind ourselves of math basics. So, this week and possibly next, is math fact refresher week for addition, subtraction and multiplication. We started a new DVD today called Time Tales!! It seems to be working for him!! I am hoping to build his confidence up with multiplication before moving forward with his normal math lessons. I may even have a day each week where we just do math refreshers vs moving forward with new lessons.
As our day continues, we will mark off items on our list but take the occasional break for a few minutes of outdoor play and/or cuddles!
Lots to do but a lot less stressful for us both. But, I have learned not to take such a long break and am even considering the possibility of schooling year round. This year round process would of course include short breaks and vacations. But we have time to make that decision. I am just glad that today is better than yesterday!!
I hope your week goes smoothly too.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Vacation time
One of the blessings of being a homeschool family is FLEXIBILITY!! Hubby has a job that allows him to work from home except for the occasional trip out of town for a project,thus we spend a lot of time together. Many times, my planned days get mixed up a little with unplanned "field trips" or opportunities for non-scripted life lessons. Who can't benefit from that?
In any event, we planned to visit hubby's family for an extended stay for the Christmas holidays. In order to allow us to be truly on vacation and no stress to any of us, G and I agreed to have all of our school work completed by the end of the first week of December! That cleared up our schedule to have time to do last minute things to prepare for our trip, as well get any shopping and packing done without the stress of marking items off on my lesson plans.
I can't tell you how freeing that has been for me, just to let it go. Fortunately, for me G likes to go on the web and play on multiplication.com. Also, we brought along our George Muller book to continue reading through the missionary journey portion of our studies. Bible study is still among his favorites. So, for us that is about as much "official/unofficial"school work we have done. But, I can still see G learning! He is enjoying his time with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins and others that stop by. He grows just by learning more about his family and being with those that we don't get to see on a regular basis.
The saying goes that "it takes a village to raise a child." It is amazing how much wisdom can be imparted on our children just by talking with them and interacting with others. I love watching G engage with family and play in the snow and all the things we don't necessarily have constant access to at home. Memories and the time we are spending as a family have been more valuable in my opinion than all the school work in the world.
Loving our vacation! Loving our family! Loving the way we learn! Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 3, 2012
I learn too!
The holidays are among us and in our house is IN FULL SWING! What does that mean for homeschool!?? It means the lessons become "real life" lessons in which we incorporate everyday life in every thing we do. It's learn on the go and make it up as we go along. How many boxes of cookies to do we need to make up a cookie tray? How many people will be at the party thus how much punch do we need to make? How many gifts can we get for this much money? And so on and so on!
To top it off, G is in the middle of a busy First Lego League season which has taken up a lot of his time but also been full of lessons in logic, analytics, cause and effect, team work, programming, trial and error, and other life lessons one cannot glean from a book. I have watched my kiddo mature and grow in more ways than I honestly gave him credit for in such a short time. There is nothing like letting him leap and watching him soar when I only thought he was capable of a short flight with training wings. This type of learning can't come from a book. I must say that from my vantage point, he continues to amaze me and remind me everyday what a great decision bringing him home has been.
I guess that his venture into this foray has prepared me for this busy holiday season. I am more trusting that he is actually learning quality lessons, albeit from what society has defined as non-conventional. G has learned far more in the past 4 months than I feel he could have learned in 9 months in a school room setting. I have seen him blossom and step outside his comfort zone. Homeschooling is definitely a blessing for our family. I have grown and my little man has shattered my preconceived notions of what he is capable of and made me one proud momma! So, bring on the holidays and let the lessons continue!!
To top it off, G is in the middle of a busy First Lego League season which has taken up a lot of his time but also been full of lessons in logic, analytics, cause and effect, team work, programming, trial and error, and other life lessons one cannot glean from a book. I have watched my kiddo mature and grow in more ways than I honestly gave him credit for in such a short time. There is nothing like letting him leap and watching him soar when I only thought he was capable of a short flight with training wings. This type of learning can't come from a book. I must say that from my vantage point, he continues to amaze me and remind me everyday what a great decision bringing him home has been.
I guess that his venture into this foray has prepared me for this busy holiday season. I am more trusting that he is actually learning quality lessons, albeit from what society has defined as non-conventional. G has learned far more in the past 4 months than I feel he could have learned in 9 months in a school room setting. I have seen him blossom and step outside his comfort zone. Homeschooling is definitely a blessing for our family. I have grown and my little man has shattered my preconceived notions of what he is capable of and made me one proud momma! So, bring on the holidays and let the lessons continue!!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Making it up as I go along....
I must admit that my kiddo has been pretty good about school lately and we have had the opportunity to pepper in some field trips to keep things interesting (and to get us out of the house). The problem lately is that my enthusiasm that I was so infused with in August has waned considerably. I have found myself not really wanting to "do" school but yet want to mark off the many non-homeschool items I have relegated to my "to do someday" list.
I find myself being more lax in what we cover and giving the literal shoulder shrug along with "eh" if we don't get to everything on my lesson plan. To compensate, I make sure my plans are made in pencil that way I can move the item to another day or erase it as if it never existed! Oh the little things that make me happy!
I really do like My Father's World as our curriculum choice and I like the latitude of being able to pick and choose from the core what I want to cover and when. Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone but, sometimes their prescribed one week lesson plan has taken G and me 2 weeks!! You know what??? It's okay!! The ground didn't open up and swallow me whole and no one knocked at my door to chastise me for not completing the map game assignment.
Now this latent attitude has not affected any work that G can do on his own, such as his spelling, reading and math. It is just the areas in which I need to be very involved. But guess what, he is moving forward in math and even doing extra lessons because his old mom's lazy attitude with stretching stuff out has freed up his time. I won't argue with progress!!
The library is helping too as on those days that I feel "eh" -- I pull out a topical book related to the study on my lesson plan and we read that together. On those days, I am in "to-do list" mode, topical DVDs are great too!! I am finding that when we do get to the actual lesson plan, we have already covered most of it and no one is any the wiser that I took a different direction.
The subsequent result is one of the many benefits of homeschooling. We get to make it up as we go along and we learn all the way down our rabbit trail!! As for me and my house, we wouldn't have it any other way!
I find myself being more lax in what we cover and giving the literal shoulder shrug along with "eh" if we don't get to everything on my lesson plan. To compensate, I make sure my plans are made in pencil that way I can move the item to another day or erase it as if it never existed! Oh the little things that make me happy!
I really do like My Father's World as our curriculum choice and I like the latitude of being able to pick and choose from the core what I want to cover and when. Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone but, sometimes their prescribed one week lesson plan has taken G and me 2 weeks!! You know what??? It's okay!! The ground didn't open up and swallow me whole and no one knocked at my door to chastise me for not completing the map game assignment.
Now this latent attitude has not affected any work that G can do on his own, such as his spelling, reading and math. It is just the areas in which I need to be very involved. But guess what, he is moving forward in math and even doing extra lessons because his old mom's lazy attitude with stretching stuff out has freed up his time. I won't argue with progress!!
The library is helping too as on those days that I feel "eh" -- I pull out a topical book related to the study on my lesson plan and we read that together. On those days, I am in "to-do list" mode, topical DVDs are great too!! I am finding that when we do get to the actual lesson plan, we have already covered most of it and no one is any the wiser that I took a different direction.
The subsequent result is one of the many benefits of homeschooling. We get to make it up as we go along and we learn all the way down our rabbit trail!! As for me and my house, we wouldn't have it any other way!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
So, how are we doing?
Our local school district just completed the 1st 9 weeks of school and report cards are going home very soon. So I thought I would take a moment to assess our progress here at our own little school. Not so much from a grade perspective but more from of a 'what's working and what's not view'. This is also a good time for me to assess what is missing and what can be shelved. So here goes!!
In August, I was pretty ambitious with all the things I wanted to accomplish this year. I quickly realized that G and I would need to make some changes pretty early on and put some things on the back burner if we were to survive our second year of homeschooling together. Now, that the proverbial groove is in place, I am planning to add the additional items back to our schedule. Having said that, a quick look at my calendar warns me not to try and add it back until after the Christmas break. AAAAGGGGHHH!!
Here are our curriculum choices this year:
- Geography/Science/Bible: My Father's World -- Exploring Countries and Cultures
- Math - Teaching Textbooks
- Grammar - Shurley English
- Spelling - Soaring with Spelling (could have used the spelling component in MFW but G seems to respond to something off topic - plus it is helping him with his reading/sight words)
- Extras: Computer Programming, Robotics, Lego Simple Machines (all these are classes he takes outside the home weekly), Speech/Reading therapy (which we stopped Oct 1) , Awana,
- Bible study: in addition to MFW -- Awana and weekly Bible memorization for Sunday school
- Field trips: We do a couple of trips per month but always move the above work around to make up for the missed day. I find these to be beneficial to both of us and Hubs has even been able to attend a few.
ON hold: (things he asked to learn and we started, but.....) I found both of these to be very stressful on both of us. Not the curriculum itself, just how the components fit into our daily structure.
- Spanish - Rosetta Stone. We found he needed to me sit with him and really help with the pronunciation portion to get it pronounced correctly so the computer would allow him to go on. He also became frustrated that he couldn't do it alone!
- Cursive handwriting: Handwriting without Tears -- This seemed to frustrate him more than anything as he is not a worksheet/sit down and write a lot kiddo. So, for handwriting (not cursive), I just look at the writing he does with his above work.
I honestly think that we had so many new things this year that the "on hold" stuff really pushed us on our daily work load. As I look at this too, I realize that we really need to do more "art" stuff. Yes, there is a component in MFW ,but to be honest that too has been put on the back burner. For one thing, G is not your typical kid that likes to color. Never has been, don't think he will be. He is more of a put it together and see how it works kid. A lot of the problem is due to the fact that I forget to get the needed materials. That may not be an issue so much with the curriculum or the kid but solely points at Yours Truly. Oopsy!! Thinking that we may add an art class that meets weekly or monthly at the beginning of the year. That would solve the lack of preparation problem on my end!!
G would also like to do music. He has never done music other than the weekly visit he had in public school years ago. He thinks he would like to play guitar. To be honest, Hubs and I considered signing him up but then G signed up for FLL Robotics league and that takes a lot of time. The time commitment is very intense, at least in the fall and then it is over early Jan/Feb. We didn't want to add another item to his (or our) schedule that would require daily practice. Plus, FLL is helping him with so many life skills, such as teamwork, how to do research, how to make a presentation, how to formulate ideas and carry them out to a finished product and so much more!! So, at this time I think the trade off is worth it.
As I read back through my post, it think what I hear myself saying is that we may shake it up a little in January. But, I also think that since we have established our routine, there are easy ways to put in a few things here and there into our day. After all, the things we want to incorporate are not super structured with a daily requirement. Love that!! Plus, I see that we may be trading in our Robot for a guitar and/or some modeling clay. Oh well, my car is already programmed to hit the road almost daily with my unsocialized homeschooler!! What is another day and another group dynamic to introduce my kiddo too?? Such is the life of a homeschool family! I wouldn't have it any other way!
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